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Iran's great shrinking lake

Lake Oroumieh

An abandoned boat is stuck in the the solidified salts at Lake Oroumieh, northwestern Iran, Feb. 16, 2014.

Oroumieh, one of the biggest saltwater lakes on Earth, has shrunk more than 80 percent, to nearly 400 square miles, in the past decade, mainly because of climate change, expanded irrigation for surrounding farms and the damming of rivers that feed the body of water, experts say.

Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Lake Oroumieh

Visitors stand on salt-covered rocks that were once deep underwater at Lake Oroumieh,Feb. 15, 2014.

Experts fear the lake - famous in years past as a tourist spot and a favorite stopping point for migrating flamingos, pelicans and gulls - could disappear within two years if nothing is done.

Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Lake Oroumieh

Visitors walk on salt-covered rocks that were once deep underwater at Lake Oroumieh, Feb. 15, 2014.

Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Lake Oroumieh

A man walks on solidified salts at Lake Oroumieh, Feb. 15, 2014.

Credit: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP

Lake Oroumieh

The wreckage of a boat is stuck in the solidified salts and sands at Lake Oroumieh, Feb. 16, 2014.